Door and fastener therefor



Patented May 19, 1925.

` UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE.

JOHN F. OCONNOR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO W. H. MINER, INC., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

DOOR AND FASTENER THEREFOR.

Application filed January 30, 1922. Serial No. 532,618.

To all '107mm 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JoiiN F. OCoNNoR, a

. ycitizenoftlle United States, residing at Chi cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Doors and Fasteners Therefor, of which the following is a full,

clear, concise, and exact description, referencev being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part oftlns specification.

in doors and fasteners therefor.

On certain railroads, the practice has been adopted of employing what are knownas containers for thetransporting of mail and high-grade freight, the shippers loading said containers and the containers then being trueked to a special car and a number of such containers placed on each car,the mail or goods being delivered to the proper consignee in the said containers. Such containers, in order to avoid excessive weight, are preferably made of sheet steel to resist the service conditions 'and each container is provided with a relatively large door to perf mit loading and unloading of comparatively 'large packages.

Obviously, such containers which are exposed to the weather on the special flat bottom car, must be weatherproof around thedoor joints as well as elsewhere and to accomplish this result, it is necessary to employ insulation at the joints, such as used for instance in refrigerator cars for a similar purpose. `To obtain an effective insulated joint, considerable pressure must be exerted in forcing -,the door to fully closed position to overcome the resistance offered by the insulation to the closing movement. The doors of the containers referred to, being of sheet metal and of comparatively large size, are necessarily subject to considerable bending strains tending to warp them while being moved to fully closed position and also while being opened, on account of the resistance afforded yby the insulation around the joints, above referred to.

The object of my invention is to provide lanarrangement which is especially adapted for closing thedoors of4 such containers or other uses wherein a relatively large door is employed, of comparatively light construc- -constructed and applied as to minimize danger of warping or buckling such doors during the closing and opening movements thereof.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a door fastening device so designed that it effectively. serves to prevent accuinulation of snow -,and sleet along the insulated joint of the door, thereby minimizing the tendency of the doors to freeze at the joints. This invention relates to improvements apart of thiscertain of the parts when the door is apl proaching its final closed position or, vice versa, when it has just been partially opened.

In said drawing, the body of the container is shown as having a side wall 10 with a relatively large door opening therein, the door opening being defined by a lintel 1l, threshold 12 and jambs 13--18. `Suitable insulation will be provided around the door opening, the same being preferably carried by the tiXed part of the container rather than bythe. door 14. In Figure 2 a desirable type of insulation is shown. Said insulation consists of an outer layer, of Vcanvas 114 anda layer offelt or otherl suitable padding 15,

nailed to a longitudinally extending strip orv block of wood 16 which in turn is secured to the door jamb and braced by a Z-bar 17 riveted to the side wall. padding above referred to extendover a long'itudinal recess 18 provided in the wood block 16 and the same are pressed outwardly by a backing strip 19 preferably of wood.

The canvas and Said backing strip is yieldingly forcedy outin the recess 18. A cooperating wood block orstrip 21 is carried by the free edge of the door 14, said wood strip being backed by an angle iron 22 riveted to the sheet metaly forming the door. The adjacent faces of the door edge and ja-mb, where the insulaf llO tion'is employed, are beveled so as to proy Ward by a plurality of springs 2O` disposed i vide a wedge lit vwhen the door is forced home. As will beclear from inspection of Figure l, the door is adapted to swing about a vertical axis.

To open and close the door, I'preferably employ the following arrangement. Se.- cured to the side wall of the. container above and below the door opening and in line withthe lintel` and threshold are bearing brackets 23-23. Rotatably journaled in said brackets 23 is an operating closure shaft 24 having journals 25-25 of reduced diameter at the top and bottom thereof entering the corresponding journal bearings of the brackets 23.

The'operating shaft 24, preferably in the form of a malleable casting, 1s of cylindrical section and eccentrically cored as 1ndicatedat 2G. On one side and of a `length.

corresponding to the length of the free edge of the door, .the shaftis formed with a. relatively narrow slot 27 defined by the edges 28 and 29 of the shaft structure. j

'At lany suitable point intermediate its ends, the shaft is provided with a radially extended ear -129 to which is pivotally connected a forked handle 30. The outer or free end of the handle 30 is'slotted so as to allow it to pass over a lixed eye 31 car- .ried by the door in the manner of a hasp,

` the handle being held in closed position by l which is projected beyond the edge of the CII sheet metal of the'ixed sidewall of the container. Secured along` the free edge of the door is a plate 34, the same extending substantially the entire length of the free edge and serving as an effective brace or reinforcement for the door edge, as will be understood. The edge of'theplate 34 nearest the shaft 4is formed with an outwardly and more or 'less diagonally extended lip or' flange so located that it is ada ted to enter the longitudinal slot 27 forme in the shaft, as shown in'Figures l and 2. L

In operating my invention, the door 14 will first be moved .to almost closed position,

that is, to the approximate position shown in Figure 3 and the sha-ft then swung so as to 'enter the projecting 'flange or lip 35 within the shaft slot. The shaft `is then rotated so as to bring the handle 30 parallel or substantially parallel with the door during which action it will be observed that the edge 29'of the shaft slot will force the door to fully closed position and, when the handle islocked, will maintain the door in closed position. In opening the door, the shaft is swung inl the` oppositeV direction, duringwhich time the slot edge 28 will eng ige the under side of the lip or flange and thus positively open the door sufficiently to clear the insulation, the shaft then passing out of engagement with the`plate 3ft and allowing the doors to be thereafter fully opened.

. With my arrangement, it will .be observed that the pressure for closing and opening the door is applied continuously throughout the entire .length of the free ,edge of the door, thereby eliminating tendency to buckle or warp'the door which would otherwise result.

\1`f\pressure' were applied atv separated or isolated points. Furthermore, as will be clear from. an inspection of Figu1'e2, the shaft maintains a` tight joint with. the plate 34 when the door is closed and thcshaft is located so closely to the side wall sheet metal as to prevent an snow or sleet getting' between the shaft and the container wall so that snow and sleet cannot accumulate to any appreciable extent at the joint between the door and jamb.

I have herein shown and described what I now 'consider t-he preferred manner of carryind out the invention, but the same is mere y illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scop ofthe claims appended hereto.

lI claim: 1.In a member having a-door opening and a doorfor closing the opening, the combination with an operating shaft arranged parallel to the free edge of the door, said shaft having a longitudinally extending slot therein; and a cooperable plate extending parallel tothe free edgeof the door, said plate entering said slot when the door is moved to approximately closed position, the rotation of said shaft after engagement of the slot and shaft forcing the door to fully closed position.

appreciable amount of- 2. Ina container member having a door i opening and a door for closing the opening, `the combination with an operating shaft. arranged parallel to the free edge of the door .and rotatably mounted on the corresponding door jamb, said shaft having a longitudinally extending slot therein; and .a co' operable plate extending along the free edge of the door and rigid therewith, said plate havin a projecting edge adapted to enter said s ot when the door is in nearly closed position whereby, rotation of .said shaft on the .plate is adapted to force the door to.

fully rlosed position.

v3. In an arrangement of the character described, the combination with a pivotallymounted door and a member against which it isadapted to close; of a sha ft rotatably mounted upon one of said parts .and cooperable with the door; and means carried by the other of said parts and engageable with said shaft throughout substantially the entire lengthof the latter, said means-cooperating-with said shaft upon rotation of the latter to fo'rcevthe door 'to fully closed position, 1

4. In an arranement -o -the character described, the. com

mounted door and memberagainst which it is adapted to cl'ose; -of a 'shaft rotatably mounted upon one of said parts, and hav- .ing a slot extending lengthwise therealong; andmeans extending outwardly from the other of saidA parts and adapted to enter said slot when' the door is in nearly closedlposition', said means and shaft cooperatingupon rotation of the shaft to move the doorto.

fully closed position.

5. In a. container having a door. opening and a pivotally mountedA door, the door A sheetmetal door;` of a combined reinforcopening j to rotate about an axis paralleljto ving-and locking plate secured; along the freeedg'e' o the door andhavinga -port1on there`. of projecting outwardly therefrom; of a- -shaftvrotatably mounted adjacent the'doo'r the freeedge of the door` and having means engageable'with said outwardlyI projecting portion of the .plate to .effect final closing movement of the door upon rotation'of the 7. In a "container of the character scribed having a; door opening and .a pivote lally mountedldoor, the comblnationwitha ination with a pivotallyv Atating said shaft.

fit is adapted to close; of an extension pro'- combined reinforcingand:locking plate ex; tending continuously along 'the free edge of the doorand having an outwardly projecting continuous lip; of a shaft rotatably mounted on the container adjacent the door opening to jrotate about an ,axis parallel to the ree'edge of the door, said shaft having 'y a continuously extending slot therealong, within which is adapted to enter said yprojecting edge of the.. plate Whenthe in nearly closed position; and

. 8. In an arrangement of the character d'e-i'l scribed, the combinationwith a vpivotally/Q,A

mounted doorand amember against which jecting'outwardly from the edge' of one-of said parts and extending, along the major portion of said edge; and manually operated l means mounted on the other part and engageable with said extension throughout substantially the entire length of the latter sition'upon operation (gf said means.

9. In a container havinga door'opening', the combination 'with a pivotally mounted Sheet metal door orclosingsaid opening 'adaptedfto force the, door to fully closed po\\ and a member a ainst` which the door is I adapted tov close; of anextension along the "edge `of one' ofsaid :parts for reinforcing said edge and projecting therebeyond; and

operating meansmlounted on the other of said parts and engageable with -said exten-- sion along the entire length of the latter.

when the door is in almost closed position to force the door to fully' closed position upon operation of said means. f

In witness that I laim y have hereunto subscribed 'my name this .10th dayof January 1922; Y i JOHN F. l- OCONNOR.l j Witnessesz' j 'v UNA C.;Gnmsnr,

ANN BAKER. 

